Abstract:
The question of whether cannabis can trigger schizophrenia continues to be a subject of interest. There has been an increasing focus on identifying potential genetic factors that may predispose cannabis users to develop schizophrenia. One such gene identified in many studies codes for a catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) enzyme polymorphism. These studies, however, are limited by the inclusion of patients displaying psychotic symptoms during cannabis intoxication and those who continue to display psychotic symptoms after its cessation. The latter is of interest in truly understanding the risk of cannabis triggering schizophrenia and more studies are needed to clarify the potential relationship. We present the case of a 24-year-old female who presented with psychotic symptoms and was diagnosed with schizophrenia after extensive cannabis use. In addition, she had a homozygous valine COMT polymorphism, a genetic variant thought to be associated with a predisposition for schizophrenia in cannabis users. We discuss the significance of our findings in understanding the relationship between cannabis use and the development of schizophrenia in genetically predisposed individuals.
摘要:
大麻是否会引发精神分裂症的问题仍然是人们感兴趣的话题。人们越来越关注识别可能使大麻使用者易患精神分裂症的潜在遗传因素。在许多研究中鉴定的一个这样的基因编码儿茶酚-O-甲基转移酶(COMT)酶多态性。这些研究,然而,包括在大麻中毒期间表现出精神病症状的患者以及在大麻中毒停止后继续表现出精神病症状的患者。后者对真正了解大麻引发精神分裂症的风险很有兴趣,需要更多的研究来澄清潜在的关系。我们介绍了一名24岁女性的案例,该女性出现精神病症状,并在广泛使用大麻后被诊断为精神分裂症。此外,她有一个纯合的缬氨酸COMT多态性,一种被认为与大麻使用者患精神分裂症倾向有关的遗传变异。我们讨论了我们的发现在理解遗传易感个体中大麻使用与精神分裂症发展之间关系的意义。